Stu Kerr
Encyclopedia
Thomas Stewart Kerr, more familiarly known to audiences as Stu Kerr (March 9, 1928 - July 17, 1994), was a Baltimore, Maryland, television personality who developed and hosted a number of programs on Baltimore television from 1952 through the 1980s. Playing a "conductor" on the show Caboose in 1978, he discovered Kevin Clash
and Todd Stockman.
Kerr was born in Yonkers, New York
and as a teenager worked as an NBC page
at the network's Rockefeller Center
headquarters. He later recalled "sitting in Lowell Thomas' seat right after he left, while it was still warm", practicing script reading His first full-time broadcasting job was on radio at the age of 19. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950, he saw combat action during the Korean War
.
Kerr's television career began in 1952 at WMAR-TV
in Baltimore, where he created The Janitor, a late-night show displaying his talent for improvisation. He then played in various children's shows at WMAR-TV, beginning with Bozo the Clown
in the 1960s and, later, inventing the character Professor Kool
on his popular Professor Kool's Fun Skool program in the late 1970s. He was also the weatherman on the early and late evening news programs throughout most of the 1970s. The station's weather set was notable for having hand-movable dials that looked like a digital thermometer and barometer.
Kerr also hosted Dialing for Dollars
on WMAR-TV
until that show ended its 38-year run on Baltimore radio and television in 1977. After leaving WMAR-TV in 1981, he was a weatherman
on WJLA-TV
in Washington, D.C.
, and also performed in 54 Space Corps, a puppet
show televised on WNUV-TV in Baltimore. For a number of years he hosted a call-in gardening program, airing Saturday mornings on WCBM radio.
Kerr had a bit part in the movie "Diner" and small roles in "The Adventure of the Action Hunters" and Morgan Stewart's Coming Home
, both filmed in 1987.
He created the recurring character role of "Scoop Toot" on the long-running national network children's program Captain Kangaroo
.
Kerr died of multiple myeloma
in Baltimore
on July 17, 1994.
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
and Todd Stockman.
Kerr was born in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
and as a teenager worked as an NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
at the network's Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
headquarters. He later recalled "sitting in Lowell Thomas' seat right after he left, while it was still warm", practicing script reading His first full-time broadcasting job was on radio at the age of 19. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950, he saw combat action during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Kerr's television career began in 1952 at WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
in Baltimore, where he created The Janitor, a late-night show displaying his talent for improvisation. He then played in various children's shows at WMAR-TV, beginning with Bozo the Clown
Bozo the Clown
Bozo the Clown is a clown character very popular in the United States, peaking in the 1960s as a result of widespread franchising in early television.Originally created by Alan W...
in the 1960s and, later, inventing the character Professor Kool
Professor Kool
Professor Kool aired on WMAR-TV in Baltimore on Saturday mornings from 1967 to 1978 and was hosted by Stu Kerr. It was a children's show featuring different kids each week...
on his popular Professor Kool's Fun Skool program in the late 1970s. He was also the weatherman on the early and late evening news programs throughout most of the 1970s. The station's weather set was notable for having hand-movable dials that looked like a digital thermometer and barometer.
Kerr also hosted Dialing for Dollars
Dialing for Dollars
Dialing for Dollars was a franchised format local television program in the United States and Canada, popular in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.-Format:...
on WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
until that show ended its 38-year run on Baltimore radio and television in 1977. After leaving WMAR-TV in 1981, he was a weatherman
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
on WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and also performed in 54 Space Corps, a puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
show televised on WNUV-TV in Baltimore. For a number of years he hosted a call-in gardening program, airing Saturday mornings on WCBM radio.
Kerr had a bit part in the movie "Diner" and small roles in "The Adventure of the Action Hunters" and Morgan Stewart's Coming Home
Morgan Stewart's Coming Home
Morgan Stewart's Coming Home is a 1987 comedy film directed by Paul Aaron/Terry Winsor and starring Jon Cryer, Viveka Davis, Paul Gleason, Nicholas Pryor and Lynn Redgrave. The screenplay was written by Ken Hixon and David N. Titcher...
, both filmed in 1987.
He created the recurring character role of "Scoop Toot" on the long-running national network children's program Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
.
Kerr died of multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
on July 17, 1994.